HiI have an ARP Omni-2 and it has all black buttons. I've searched all over, including here, and can't find anything about it. Every pic I've seen they have the orange and cream colored buttons. Anyone ever heard of an Omni-2 with all black buttons??

smsayre65 wrote:HiI have an ARP Omni-2 and it has all black buttons. I've searched all over, including here, and can't find anything about it. Every pic I've seen they have the orange and cream colored buttons. Anyone ever heard of an Omni-2 with all black buttons??

Hello!

Yes, iirc, they're the last production version. They have black push switches, but where they differfrom the Omni-2 version that appeared before them is they have a removable plate(s?) on the underside of the casing to allow access to the keyboard assembly from underneath.The units prior to them forced you to remove the keyboard assembly to access the underside mechanics.The vast majority of the Omni-2's were of the previous version and had the cream/orange push switches.

If you don't mind my asking, whats the serial number on your unit? You've piqued my curiosity, as the Omni-2in ARP's product catalog from the late 70's has the black button version.I may be off about the order in which the two versions appear, but I do remember that the black buttonversions are way fewer than the orange/cream ones. They are also the only Omni-2's I have ever seen with the underside keybed access hatch (ala Odyssey III). Additionally they have an led power indicator and ARP badgejust to the right of the keyboard, whereas the orange/cream versions is usually blank in this location.

It might have been repaired at some point, with the right type of switchboard not available. I´ve seen several Pro-DGXs with either orange switch caps where these should have been black, or I´ve seen later ones which should have orange ones but had black ones instead.

Or maybe it´s a Frankensynth assembled from various other Omnis?

Stephen

"Like the light from distant stars, Stephen Parsick's music has existed for some time, but is only now reaching us on Earth." -- Chuck van Zyl / Star´s End

Also, I'm pretty sure the ARP product catalog LWG's referring to dates from 1978 considering that the Quadra isn't featured** (at least not in the one I have), and the Omni 2 pictured in there is the all-black button version. I found a serial number for this version and it's in the low 200's, suggesting it is in fact an early version.

The cream/orange version is definitively the most common one.

** the Quadra didn't hit the streets until the spring of 1979 or thereabouts.

The most noticable feature on those early black/orange Arps was the wood sides and a green metal/ceramic logo on them. Never noticed the Omni-2 had those all black caps too.(Nice find Micke!) Are there wood sides on that black capped Omni-2?Seems like the very early ones were manufactured with thin wood sides, and later replaced with those common and strange leather sides. I have seen most of the early black/orange wood sidded models, and I have both an early Avatar and Axxe II. Not sure when they stopped or how long they made these, but the wood looks nice on those early black/orange generation Arps. The green/metal Logo came in different sizes. The Avatar one is much larger. Axxe logo:

Avatar logo:

And the wood side:

I would guess if the Omni-2 had original black caps, it probably had the green/metal logo and wood sides too. Making that a nice Omni-2!

No, there aren't any key bed and/or mechanics access plate(s). I'm thinking this is an early one due to the information you all provided, which is spot on: wood sides, green badge, no access plate(s), black buttons, etc. I looked at the product catalog from '78 you all were referencing and it sure does look like that one pictured with wood sides, black buttons and ARP badge. I think I'll go with an early one unless anyone has some other clue?Thanks!

@ MickeYes, the plot certainly does thicken.....That example from Matrix Synth looks exactly like mine. The serial number is 2473202 and mine is 2473209. Literally 7 numbers difference. I couldn't find the year of manufacture listed. Not sure if the person knows? I know I'm having a bit of difficulty.... That's awesome that you found that and much appreciated. Those are good pics and show a lot of detail. Mine isn't scratched up hardly at all and is in really good condition. The guy I bought it from bought it new and had it in storage for many years. He said he thought he bought it in 1978 or 1979. Steve